What Do Rocket Fuel and Your Thyroid Have In Common?

Did you ever think that rocket fuel could impact your health? I suppose I assumed that unless I ingested the actual fuel I was safe. But to follow suit with recent increased levels of environmental awareness, everything we create as human beings impacts the environment that we introduce it into. Perchlorate, a toxin from rocket fuel, is now a rather common find in groundwater, tap water, soil and even our food. But how does this toxin impact the human body?

Research from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention depicts a grim picture, where women with low iodine uptake and exposure to perchlorate could have significant reduced thyroid function. Large doses of the toxin can also inhibit the absorption of iodine in the body. Men seem less susceptible to exposure than women. Until more is known about perchlorate, or at least until it is determined how to reduce this contaminant in our drinking water, it’s not a bad idea to up the intake of iodine rich foods such as kelp, some dairy products and seafood. You can also check if your drinking water may contain perchlorate by visiting the Environmental Working Group website and look at their section on tap water and contaminants.

This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 at 4:35 pm and is filed under Supplements.
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